science
NASA's Artemis II Mission Completes Lunar Flyby with Crew on Return to Earth
The Artemis II mission, featuring four astronauts, conducted a lunar flyby on April 8, 2026, marking the first human trip around the moon since 1972. The crew captured images using onboard cameras and set a new distance record from Earth. The mission advances NASA's plans for future lunar and Mars exploration.
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mission launched on March 31, 2026, carrying four astronauts: commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The crew performed a 10-day uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft, orbiting the moon without landing. The mission achieved a closest approach to the lunar surface of 7,000 kilometers during the flyby. m.
Eastern time on April 8 as they traveled around the far side of the moon. This marked the first such journey since Apollo 17 in 1972. The crew reported losing track of Earth days during the transit.
set a new record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth, surpassing previous benchmarks.
The mission celebrated Jeremy Hansen's first spaceflight, with a special message from Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke delivered ahead of the flyby. The crew named a moon crater after Carroll Wiseman, the late wife of commander Reid Wiseman, who died in 2020, during an emotional exchange with mission control in Houston. President Trump spoke with the astronauts following the lunar journey.
The conversation focused on the mission's role in NASA's long-term plans for moon and Mars exploration, which Trump initiated during his first term.
“Humans have probably not evolved to see what we’re seeing. It is truly hard to describe. It is amazing.”
The Orion spacecraft is equipped with 15 vehicle-mounted lenses and over a dozen portable optical systems, including Nikon D5 DSLR cameras with 14-24mm and 80-400mm lenses, GoPro cameras, video encoders, tablets with webcams, and iPhones 17 for photos and video without internet connectivity.
